Orikuchi Shinobu's

NAGAI, Shimpei

doi:2018.6.1.113

The Journal of Japanese Language Literature Studies > Volume 6(1); 2018 > Article

Article

Border Crossings: The Journal of Japanese-Language Literature Studies 2018;6(1): 113-129.
doi: https://doi.org/10.22628/bcjjl.2018.6.1.113

Orikuchi Shinobu's "Korean" Representation: I Feel Like Wanting to be a Korean

Shimpei NAGAI

名古屋学院大学、非常勤講師

折口信夫の｢朝鮮人｣表象 ―― 朝鮮人になって了ひたい様な気がします

Correspondence Shimpei NAGAI ,Email: shimpei7@hotmail.com

Published online: 30 June 2018.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to consider the possibility and problems of “Korean” representation of Shinobu Orikuchi (1887-1953), who was a poet and a folklorist. The method to do so is to verify the representation of “Korean” in his poem “Sunakeburi” (1924). This poem is based on the experiences of the author during the Great Kanto Earthquake and depicts Koreans massacred by Japanese. In this poem he said, “I feel like wanting to be a Korean.”
This poem which expresses things that cannot be expressed by traditional methods of Tanka was later classified as a non-Tanka by the author. The name non-Tanka means continuity and discontinuity with Tanka. He describes Koreans as being discriminated against and feared by others as continuity with Tanka, and expresses the fear of the Japanese who kill Koreans by discontinuity. As a result, he preserved discrimination against Koreans in poetry, but he was able to face the criminal acts of the Japanese. The euphemistic expression that “I feel like wanting to be a Korean,” is because he realized that he was a part of the crime. He could not speak out and say “I would like to be a Korean.”
His representation of Koreans had the problem of preserving discrimination, but there was the possibility of scooping up the victim’s voice without forgetting his position as a perpetrator.

Keywords: Orikuchi Shinobu, Sunakeburi, Great Kanto Earthquake, Korean representation, Non-Tanka

キ―ワ―ド: 折口信夫, 砂けぶり, 関東大震災, 朝鮮人表象, 非短歌